I'm a girl that's never been
by Saj te Gyuhyall
Summary: Darcy's effects from New Mexico finally make their way back to her. Gen. Oneshot.


**Title:** I'm a girl (that's never been)

**Author:** Saj te Gyuhyall

**Rating:** PG

**Fandom:** Avengers/Doctor Who

**Characters:** Darcy Lewis, generic SHIELD agent.

**Summary:** Darcy's effects from New Mexico finally make their way back to her.

**Authors Notes:** M'kay, first off, with the posting of this fic, I break my self imposed ban on posting fanfiction until my (writer's block inflicted) book is complete. I got jumped by a bunny while flicking through the Avengers section of AO3 and banged this out in about an hour. NOT beta'd, sorry. The title comes from the song "The Girl That's Never Been" by Escape Key.

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Darcy had barely had time to take a sip of coffee before she was accosted by one of Fury's/Coulson's minions. He gave her a polite smile that didn't seem to reach his pale blue eyes, and held out the box she belatedly noticed he was holding. Sue her, it was oh-two whatever in the morning, she'd been up for a day and a half crunching numbers and refiling incompetently filed papers for Jane (who'd begged for her help after her new 'assistants' proved they couldn't organize their way out a paper bag) and she's only has a single sip of institutional coffee. You'd be slow on the uptake too.

"I believe this belongs to you, Ms. Lewis." The generic SHIELD agent said blandly, setting box of things down on the cafeteria table. She squinted at him for a moment, trying to remember if she's seen him before. After a second or two she shrugged and tugged the top off, idly wondering where SHIELD got all of their suspiciously nondescript agents. She secretly suspected there was a machine somewhere that popped them out like peeps.

And inside- "Oh thank GOD, my iPod!" She wasn't ashamed to admit she squealed like a teeny bopper right then. Snatching it out of the box she hugged it to her, grinning widely. " Oh, my precious baby, I've missed you so much!"

The agent's non-expression gave a faint twitch, but she wasn't really well versed in micro emoting yet (though if she stayed around SHIELD much longer she thought she might get there someday) and couldn't tell what he'd been suppressing. After giving her a minute to scan through her lists to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be, he brandished a clip board with what looked like an entire ream of paper somehow clipped to it. Removing the top sheet he handed it to her. "If you would take this list and verify that the contents are yours, please."

Nodding agreeably, Darcy tucked her beloved iPod into her pocket, and then glanced at the list before digging through the mishmash of stuff in the cardboard. Most of it she hadn't even missed really, what with all the excitement with Thor, and then the Avengers, and the attack on NY… Pens and papers from her old desk, her chocolate bar calculator, her least favorite denim jacket, coke can shaped stress ball, and-

The last item listed in neat typeface on the page made her stop short, scrunching her face in confusion.

_Pocket watch._

Why would there be a pocket watch? She didn't own a-

As she shifted the jacket over a tarnished silver watch on a beaded chain came tumbling out of a fold to land with a dull little thump on a stack of old paperwork. Darcy just stared, the whole world seemed to stop and narrow down into the little disk and its prettily swirling design. Moving as if in a dream Darcy reached down, and, hesitating only briefly, picked up the watch.

There was a tugging sensation somewhere in the back of her mind and a voice began to murmur in her ear, except that Darcy knew (not sure HOW she knew) she wasn't actually hearing it with her ears.

_ShouldIwake? Couldbemeagain, ... Time. Space. See/feel/hear/tasteoftime. Couldbemineagain. _The voice softly crooned sounding wistful. Darcy's finger moved to press the catch that would open it.

But then there was sensation like someone dousing her body (her mind) in ice. And Darcy froze. The voice seemed to scream, though the whispery lowness remained._ ButnooneNOTHINGleft ,MYFAULT. Regretguiltsorrowloss.. . Allmyfault. _

And Darcy Lewis, for a moment, while she held the watch that held a sleeping Time Lady, _remembered_. She was broken out of her state of shock by the agent beside her shifting on the balls of his feet restlessly.

"Ms. Lewis? Is everything alright?" The agent's voice actually seemed to have an iota of concern in it.

Glancing up at him Darcy pulled her mouth into some semblance of a smile, even as she blinked back tears she refused to shed. She didn't have the right to cry for what she's done. Glancing back down at the watch clenched in her fist and forced herself to speak in a fairly clear voice. "Oh, sorry, I'm just surprised … I thought it was still in storage in New Mexico with the rest of the stuff from my apartment. It belonged to my grandmother or something, I think. Can't remember why I even had it with me that day." She forced herself to shrug. "Anyway, yeah, this looks like it's all mine."

The politely blank he gave her seemed to hint at a slight impatience. Holding up the clipboard of the papers he murmured, "If you would just sign these forms, Ms. Lewis."

Hesitating, only a moment, she let the watch and all it contained slip from her fingers (her _mind and soul_) and, just as quickly as she had become more, she was only Darcy Lewis again. The memory of the Lady she had been gone as if it had never been.

Blinking blankly at Agent Unassuming, Darcy shook her head. Yeesh, she really needed to get more sleep. She hardly ever zoned out like that. Taking a sip of her rapidly cooling coffee she pulled a pen from the cluttered box and made a gimme motion. When he handed her the (freaking huge) sheaf of forms, she grimaced at he weight. "If I get a hand injury filling out all of these, I am so sending the bill to your boss."

Obviously ignoring her pathetic caffeine deprived attempt at snark he merely nodded and told her she could give the forms to his supervisor when she was through. He left with what was probably excessive haste for an emotionless SHIELD minion. Darcy made a mental note to tell Coulson his people were slipping.

Glancing at the stack of forms and then at the clock over the cafeteria door, Darcy bit back a groan. There was _no way _she'd be getting any sleep if she tried to do this right now. Grumbling to herself for a couple minutes she made a quick decision. Standing up she abandoned her now thoroughly cold coffee and plunked the ream of paperwork in the box. Sliding the top back on, she proceeded to lug the box and all it's contents to the cramped little office she'd been given next to Jane's lab. she suspected it had actually been a janitorial closet before they gave it to her.

With a huff she dropped the box next to the tall filing cabinet in the back corner, promising herself she's get to it tomorrow, when she could think straight. Pulling out her (beloved) iPod she gleefully plugged the earbuds in and punched random. A second later, she was lightly humming along to the opening bars of a Nickelback song, and making her way down the hall to go bully Jane into going home and beg to crash on her couch. For some reason she didn't want to be alone tonight.

And behind her, in a box she wouldn't remember tomorrow, an alien consciousness slept on, trying to forget her pain.

**END**

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**End Notes: **Yep, this is one of those, –insert female character- is really ROMANA fics. I couldn't help myself. Anyway, thanks for reading! Constructive crit is welcome! And if you spot a typo, by all means, tell me so I can fix it!


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